Geopolitical Events Dominate Wall Street's Attention Today

Overnight the Bank of Japan held interest rates steady and issued an upbeat view of the global economy. The central bank revised up its views on exports and output. A series of positive economic data has bolstered sentiment surrounding the world's third-largest economy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out this morning about the truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin. She said it would be 'repugnant' if it was carried out by a refugee seeking a safe haven in Germany. German media is quoting security sources who say they believe the suspected driver of the truck, which plowed through the market, killing 15 people, is a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker. Facebook (FB) - Get Report Messenger now lets you video chat with up to 50 people. For the first six participants, the app will stream everyone's camera feed to a grid-like view. After 6, the dominant speaker will appear on the screen.